Beneficial effects of alcohol withdrawal on LDL particle size distribution and oxidative susceptibility in subject with alcohol-induced hypertriglyceridemia

Abstract

LDL subclass pattern B, reported to have a higher prevalence in hypertriglyceridemics (HTGs), is considered to be associated with an increased risk for coronary artery disease, and the small dense LDL characteristic of this pattern is susceptible to oxidative modification. Alcohol is considered one of the most frequent causes of increases in plasma triglyceride (TG) levels. We investigated the effects of alcohol withdrawal on LDL subclass distribution and oxidizability in drinkers with different plasma TG levels. Thirty-seven male subjects with relatively heavy alcohol- consumption habits were divided into four groups; normotriglyceridemic (NTG)/withdrawal (n = 11), NTG/control (N 8), hypertriglyceridemic (HTG)/withdrawal (n = 10), and HTG/control (n = 8). Both withdrawal groups abstrained form alcohol for 4 weeks, while the control subjects maintained their usual intake of alcohol. Peak LDL particle diameter (PPD) was smaller in the combined HTG groups than in the combined NTG groups before abstinence, although PPD increased significantly (P < .05) were observed between the change (Δ) in lag time and ΔTG and between Δlag time and ΔPPD. We conclude that in alcohol-induced HTG subjects, alcohol withdrawal has beneficial effects on the LDL profile by shifting the particle size from smaller to larger and decreasing its susceptibility to oxidation.